Local coffee supplier to cafés and offices

Independent cafés, restaurants, bakeries, small grocers, coworking spaces and offices that want a reliable local supplier.

You earn the difference between your bulk buying price and your wholesale price per kilo or bag. Standing weekly or biweekly orders from regular accounts give steady income, and you can add filters, syrups and cups.

• Selling and building relationships
• Organising orders and deliveries
• Knowing coffee well enough to talk about it
• Basic bookkeeping

• Check with your municipality whether you need a home-based business licence and whether storing food stock at home is allowed
• Check with your local public health unit about the rules for storing and handling packaged food
• Check whether you need a Safe Food for Canadians licence from the CFIA, especially if you import or sell across provinces
• Commercial general liability insurance, and a check that your vehicle insurance covers business deliveries
• Late-paying customers and thin margins, so agree payment terms upfront
• Quebec has bilingual and French labelling and language rules for products and invoices, so check them if you sell there

Startup costs are typically estimated at around $1,500 to $6,000, depending on how much bulk stock you buy, your storage space and your packaging and delivery setup. Your first orders from a roaster will shape the total.

Monthly revenue is typically estimated at around $1,500 to $7,500, depending on how many cafés, shops and offices you supply and how often they reorder. Margins can be thin, so agree payment terms upfront.

Check whether your municipality requires a home-based business licence and allows food stock at home. Check public health unit rules for packaged food, whether you need a CFIA Safe Food for Canadians licence, insurance, and Quebec labelling and language rules if you sell there.